


Wouldn’t miss it for the world

by ibumblebee



Series: Merlin fics [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Boys In Love, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Modern Era, Musicals, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 06:01:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20148811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibumblebee/pseuds/ibumblebee
Summary: “You sing in public!?”“Yeah, obviously. I’m not going to waste the only talent I’ve got.”Silence.“So... Where do you sing exactly?”“West End.”orEleven weeks into their relationship Arthur realises that Merlin is a actor at West End.





	Wouldn’t miss it for the world

**Author's Note:**

> I really love the feeling that musicals give you. It feels like the world is good and you can do whatever you want and I though; why not let Arthur experience it?  
Hope you enjoy it :) 
> 
> English is not my first languge so I apologise in advance for every mistake in this text. And as usual; I do not own the characters or the series and do not take any credit for it.

Arthur didn’t know what to expect. The concert hall was full of women in nice dresses and men in suits. He felt weirdly uncomfortable in his own and pulled the collar. He was used to wearing suits, he wore them to work practically every day, but he was not used to wearing it in this situation. Or this situation in general.

Arthur had met Merlin four months prior at a bar. Apparently he knew his sisters best friends fiancé Lance, and since Morgana had brought her boyfriend Leon it was only natural that the two strangers had been drawn to each other to escape the coupleness of the evening. That and maybe the fact that Merlin was literally the hottest person in the entire world, but that was only stuff Arthur said to him in the middle of a good shag.  
They went on a proper date fifteen days after their first meeting. Merlin blames the entire delay on Arthur and his oh so busy work schedule. Nine weeks later and Arthur had said he loved him for the first time. Merlin had not answered it right away but instead looked like he was floating on a cloud. Arthur had kissed his nose, his heart almost about to burst.  
For the first eleven weeks of their relationship Merlin had told his boyfriend that he was an actor. Later, when Arthur found out the truth, he had only laughed and said that he was telling the truth to which Arthur had mumbled something in disagreement.  
What changed everything was that he heard Merlin sing in the shower. Arthur liked to sing in the shower as much as the next guy, but Merlin... He really went at it. And the worst part; it sounded absolutely amazing. Even though he would never admit it Arthur may have spent Merlin’s entire shower with his ear pressed against the door to hear it, heart in his throat. The following conversation went a little bit like this.

“You were...” Clearing of said throat. “You were singing in the shower.”

“Yes, I was.”

“You sound... It sounded good.”

“Thanks.”

“I mean, really good. You could do something with a voice like that.”

Chuckle. “So I’ve been told. That’s why I do it.”

“Do what?”

“Sing outside the shower.”

“You sing in public!?”

“Yeah, obviously. I’m not going to waste the only talent I’ve got.”

Silence.

“So... Where do you sing exactly?”

“West End.”

At this point Arthur spit out his coffee and between tears and the coughing he managed to say; “You sing at West End?”

“Yeah. What did you thing I did for a living?”

And that was when Arthur found out that his boyfriend wasn’t just a struggling theatre nerd, like he’d assumed, but instead a high esteemed and apparently quite liked musical performer at West End.

Which leads back to the night Arthur is standing feeling uncomfortable while waiting for the doors to the theatre to open. Ever since he found out about it Arthur had been nagging to go see one of the shows, but Merlin had kept insisting he wasn’t ready to have Arthur there yet. Though Arthur didn’t quite understand what that meant he had waited patiently (or as patiently as someone with Pendragon blood could wait for something) for Merlin go get ready. And apparently, that was tonight.

“You could’ve given me a heads up”, Arthur had mumbled two hours earlier as he got home from work to a single ticket with Merlin’s face on lying on the counter. Of course, Merlin hadn’t been there to answer for himself since he was already at the theatre putting on makeup or whatever big musical stars did before a show. Arthur wasn’t sure.

His phone vibrated. A text from Merlin.

_You here?_

At first Arthur was going to answer something snarky about how he was still at work and didn’t know that the other was talking about but he didn’t when he realised what a big part of his life Merlin was letting him walk in to by doing this.

_Of course. Wouldn’t miss it for the world._

The reply came almost immediately.

_(:_

The first bell rang and the doors opened.

_Good luck_, he quickly replied before putting the phone on silent and putting it in his pocket. Then he changed his mind and pulled it back out. He turned it off instead. This was Merlin’s night. Everything else could wait.

When Merlin walked out on stage it was like Arthurs brain imploded. He looked so safe on the stage, so like himself, that is was striking. And then he started singing and even though he didn’t think it was possible, Arthur fell even more in love with the man.

When the curtains fell Arthur was the first to stand up clapping, but not the last. Everyone clapped and cheered and when the cast walked out on the staged the whole room exploded. They bowed to the left and to the right. Arthur had his gaze on his boyfriends face the whole time, once again noticing how calm and at peace he looked. Then his eyes turned his way and for the first time Arthur could glimpse a small bit of uncertainty in Merlin’s eyes. Then their gazes met and Arthur could do nothing but smile as he shook his head in awe, still clapping. Merlin smiled and it brightened the whole room.

Arthur didn’t go to bed when he got home even though it was quite late. He took of his tie and suit jacket and placed himself on the couch. He was still browsing through the program from tonight’s show even though he had already read everything in it at least three times; especially the entire page devoted to a picture and a quick interview with Merlin. The photo showed him in full makeup and costume standing in the middle of the stage, the spotlight only on him. Arthur recognised it as one of the lasts scenes in the play; the one where the character realises he has to die to save the kingdom. He is standing with his mouth open in a long tune, one Arthur didn’t even know what humanly possible to hit until tonight.

The door to his apartment opened and Arthur immediately dropped the program, standing up to face his boyfriend. He hadn’t known if Merlin would come to his tonight, although he had hoped. He had hoped Merlin needed to see him as much as he needed to see Merlin.  
And there he was, standing in his hallway. Not a trace of the stage makeup was left on his face and for a moment it was like tonight never happened. But then he started grinning, dropping the bag on the floor and walking over to Arthur in a few quick steps. Arthur was about to say something but before he could Merlin kissed him and every sane though went out the window. The kiss was eager and much sloppier than Merlin usually liked it, but Arthur didn’t really feel like complaining.

“That was,” he managed to say between kisses when he got back the ability to build proper sentences again, “absolutely fucking incredible.”  
Merlin made a trail of kisses down the others neck.

“You really thought so?” he said. Even though he didn’t want the kisses to end Arthur grabbed his boyfriend by the shoulders and held him away to look at him.  
Merlin’s eyes were shining with eager and confidence and pride and just pure happiness. He was practically glowing. Arthur doubled he had ever been more beautiful.

“Yeah!” he said, answering a question he understood Merlin didn’t really need the answer to but wanted to give him anyway. “I mean I knew you could sing, but holy fuck.”  
Merlin laughed and leaned in to kiss him again.

“High on adrenalin much?” Arthur laughed against the others lips. Merlin didn’t bother to answer.

“Just so you know; I think you need to be in every audience from now on. That was the best fucking performance I’ve ever done,” he said, completely out of breath.

“I think I can do that”, Arthur mumbled back. If this was the rest of his life, watching Merlin glowing on a stage and then getting to go home and kiss him like this, Arthur decided that was one of the best things he could do.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
